Vehicle control mechanism



Maich 24,1936. v .3. GOOD 2,035,124

VEHICLE CONTROL MECHANISM- -Filed Aug. 11, 1930 6 IINVENFO R.

x! TTORNEYS.

- Patented Mar. 2. 9

PATENT OIFFICE' VEHICLE comor. m-zominrsm John Good, Garden City, N. Y., assignor-to Good I Inventions 00., Garden City, N.

tion of New York IL, a corpora Application August 11,1930, Serial No. 474,53

11 Claims.

The invention relates the control of auto- T motive vehicles, the object being to facilitate the driving thereof and consists of means operating without special attention on the part of the driver to increase the engine fuel supply above the nor- .mal idling rate on occasions when the engine is otherwise likely to stall from insufficient fuel supply, as, for example, when shifting gears, or immediately after cranking the engine before it is .10 warmed up, a further object being to cause the increased fuel delivery, however effected, to persist for a period and terminate automatically that is, without conscious attention by the driver, when the conditions most favorable to engine stall have been passed.

The drawing herewith is to be taken merely as exemplification of the principle of the invention and not as limitation. Fig. 1 represents a conventional automobile engine, with one form of the invention applied to it;

Fig. 2 is a larger scale detail of the interrelated means for increasing the engine speed; a

Fig. 3, the same in the accelerated condition; Fig. 4 represents a developed form of the 5 same type of apparatus as applied to the button which controls the electric cranking of the engine; and

Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively difierent positions of that mechanism. 1

has a fuel supply system represented by the usual carburetor I, with a throttle 2 connected by a link 3, bell crank 4 and push rod 5 with the accelerator pedal 6 herein referred to as the operators nor- 35 mal engine control element, and which may be either hand or foot-operated, or both. The throttle is urgedto its. closed position by the usual throttlespring, such as I, and hasan adjustable idling screw 8 preventing its complete clo- 40- sure. This screw, it will be understood, is intended to be set so as to establish a minimum opening of the throttle, when the operators control has been removed, suificient to keep the engine over when free of load. Whenever the 45 operator removes his foot from the control ele. ment 6, the throttle automatically returns, under the influence of the spring, to the idling position as determined by the set screw 8. The foregoing arrangement of fuel supply system will be 50 recognized as conventional and will be taken to exemplify type of fuel system, suction-operated or otherwise, for the propelling engine of a self-impelled vehicle.

With the system described, or its equivalent,

the present invention combines a device to.in-

In Fig. 1,'the propelling engine of the vehicle crease the rate of fuel delivery to thevengine above that determined by its idling means what ever .the nature ofthat means, and to maintain such increased delivery and increased engine speed for a period of time following the act which 5 brought it about, which period is terminated as an incident to the operation or use of one of the existing control elements of the vehicle, being thus automatic in the sense that it is without conscious attention on the part of the driver.

The speed increasing means may take various forms as will presently be apparent since any device or arrangement which delivers, or causes to be delivered, to the engine a portion of fuel in excess of, or in addition to, that received by it 15 for its normal idling operation, will suflice for the purpose. The form shown inFigs. 1-3 consists of a cam or bevelled bolt guided in a suitable support marked 9 and suitable connections presenthr referred to. The bevelled end of the bolt 20 is marked l0 and its straight side II. It is so arranged as to be adapted to be moved or pushed under or over one of the joint-pins or the hubjoint I2 or any other part of the throttle-linkage system, so that by its wedging action it will move the joint or part in the appropriate direction (downward) and to a suflicient extentto open the throttle slightly wider than its normal idling position; or prevent its closing completely to the idling position, if already opened thus in creasing the fuel delivery and the engine speed somewhat above the normal idling rate, or preventing the delivery from being reduced to that rate. Fig. 3 showsthe cam or bolt advanced into this accelerated setting with the linkage hub now resting on its'straight side' H. The bolt is under the pressure of a spring l3, tending to withdraw it from engagement with the linkage system, but not strong enough to move it against the side pressure and friction produced by the pres- I sure of the hub l2 thereon, under the influence of the throttle spring, and the bolt is therefore retained or locked in its advanced setting until such throttle-spring pressure is removed. The ispeeded-up condition of the engine continues until the throttle is opened still wider thus restoring or unsetting the 'bolt by allowing the spring I: to act to withdraw it. It may be observedthat there are two speed increasing means, one being the normal throttle linkage, bell-crank v I, pedal 6 etc., and the other the bolt, and that both work through the single ubule 2. This arrangement is preferred, though not indis pensable as will be evident.

In the particular embodiment were...

Fig. 1, the cam bolt is operated in the direction to increase the fuel delivery, by a link II and bell crank- I connected with a plunger or button mounted on the fioor board of the vehicle, for example, and directly under, and in position to be engaged and operated by the pad of the normal clutch pedal It, as indicated by the full and dotted lines. Opening the clutch as for making a gear chan8,'thus advances the bolt and increases the engine speed, as above described, and the bolt continues in this position until the driver, having completed the gear shift and again closes the clutch, next uses 'the accelerator'pedal, or otherwise further opens the throttle; thereafter, it will be understood, the engine comes to its normal idle whenever. the driver ceases to control the engine as by removing his foot from the pedal. The period of increased enginespeed thus covers the whole of the gear changing operation with its incident change of load and guards against engine stalling which is common on such occasions, especially with inexperienced drivers, and it relieves even the experienced driver of the need of attention to engine speed or of any haste in his foot movement. At the same time, it permits the normal idle to be set at a slower rate than might otherwise be practical and with corresponding fuel economy.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 refer to the same type of throttle linkage, including the same normal enginecontrol element, or bell crank l, which, as before, will be assumed merely to exemplify any member of the fuel supply system, and these figures also show the same type of cam or bolt for increasing the speed above the idle, but in this case the increasing means or bolt has two stages of action. The first stage is represented by its "bevelled end It and the second by its 'further bevel l1 separated from the first by the straight side or landing ll. When this bolt is advanced, it first depresses the hub l2, as before and as indicated in Fig. 5, and to the extent of the pitch of the bevel III, thus slightly increasing the engine speed, and then depresses it further by contact with the second and higher bevel l1, still further increasing the speed. Removal of the actuating pressure on the bolt allows it to return at once to the position indicated in Fig. 5 wherein the hub l2 rests upon the landing I I separating the two bevels and where the pressure of the hub holds the bolt against further retraction by the spring l3, as before, and until the throttle beginning of a gear shift period, if that should be desired, and either the single stage or the two stage may be connected for actuation by or as the result of the use of a vehicle control element other than the clutch pedal, for instance by the the engine, gives it an initial high speed action which is followed by a slower but brisk idle until it is put under load, after which the idle is normal.

It will be apparent, though not illustrated, that both of the two control elements referred to, that is tosay, clutch and starter button, may be connected to operate the speed increaser; the invention comprehends the use of either or both or any of the normal control elements for this purpose and it contemplates also the use of the normal throttle control element as the means of terminating any condition or setting previously established by some other control element or fuel-increasing device as well as the speededup condition established by means such as described.

What is claimed is,

1. In an automotive vehicle, the combination with the fuel system of the propelling engine and. its idling means for insuring minimum fuel delivery, of an operators normal control element for varying the fuel delivery above the idling rate, and other means producing two predetermined stages 'of increase above said idling rate of fuel delivery.

2. In an automotive vehicle, the combination with the propelling engine and its fuel supply system including means for establishing an idling rate of fuel supp y, a clutch pedal, means associated therewith for increasing the fuel supply above said rate, and a vehicle control element having means for terminating the effect of said clutch means.

3. In an automotive vehicle, the combination with the fuel supply system of the engine including means for establishing a normal idling rate of fuel delivery thereto, of the clutch pedal, means whereby said pedal increases the fuel supply above said rate, and a throttle controlling pedal having means for terminating the fuelincreasing effect of said clutch means.

4. In an automotive vehicle, the combination of the propelling engine, its fuel system including its normal idling means, a starting element, and means operated thereby adapted to increase the fuel supply established for normal idling, said means having two stages of action giving successively greater fuel increase, spring means acting to terminate the greater increase and means for prolonging. the period of less increase.

5. In an automotive vehicle, the combination with the propelling engine and its fuelsystem including idling means, of an engine-cranking element having means to produce a two-stage increase of fuel delivery above normal idling and means for retaining said means in its first stage position.

6. In an automotive vehicle, the combination with the propelling engine, and its fuel system and idling means adapted to establish a minimum rate of fuel delivery, of an engine-cranking element having a member for increasing the delivery above-such rate in two stages, means for retaining said member in its first stage position, and an operators vehicle control element adapted to release said member.

7. In an automotive vehicle, the combination with the propelling engine, of a fuel supply system, throttle and idling adjustment means therefor adapted to maintain a minimum supply f fuel to sustain engine operation at, idling speed, an accelerator and linkage connecting the same with the throttle, an operators control element and means actuated simultaneously therewith for establishing a rate of fuel supply higher than said idle including a locking device to hold open the throttle, said accelerator adapted to further open the throttle and coincidently .release said locking device.

8. In an automotive vehicle, the combination with the propelling engine, of a fuel supply system including means adapted to maintain a minimum supply to sustain engine operation at idling speed, means for establishing a higher rate of fuel supply including a locking device for maintaining the speeded-up condition, and an accelerator adapted to release said device upon actuation of the accelerator to increase the engine speed.

9. In an automotive vehicle, a fuel system ineluding means adapted to maintain a minimum idling supply, means for establishing a predetermined higher rate of supply, a spring-controlled latch for retaining said last mentioned means in its fuel-increasing position, and an accelerator adapted to release said latch.

10. In an automotive vehicle, the combination with the propelling, engine, of a fuel supply system including means adapted to maintain a minimum supply to sustain engine operation at idling speed, a member adapted in one position to establish a higher minimum fuel supply and movable to-another position to terminate said higher minimum, an accelerator pedal, and means responsive to movement of the pedal to increase the fuel supply to cause said member to move to its second-mentioned position.

11. In an automotive vehicle, the combination with the propelling engine, of a fuel supply system including means adapted to maintain a minimum supply, to sustain engine operation at idling speed, a member adapted in one position to establish a higher minimum fuel supply and movable to another position to terminate said higher minimum, means movable to increase the fuel supply and coincidently cause said movable member to move to the second-mentioned of its positions and an operators control member to move said last-mentioned means.

JOHN GOOD. 

